Omniscience
by Miao Cai
Summary: A series of short stories about characters who oppose rebellious natures and restore virtue! Chapter 1, Hua Tuo. Chapter 2 comming soon, Guan Lu.


_The first character of the Series, Hua Tuo. He is a physician who knew how to cure aliments that laid under the skin, brillant man who cured Guan Yu at Fan, Liu Bei's sworn brother and Zhou Tai, Sun Quan's bodyguard._

Omniscience - Hua Tuo

Disclaimer – Luo Guanzhong compiled the _Sanguoyanyi_, and Chen Shou wrote the _Sanguozhi._

Hua Tuo looked down as Mengde began denouncing him. "Send him to death and bring me his head!" screamed Cao Cao. "Any man could try and kill me by tricking me to believe he could cure me, like Ji Ping, but kill me instead! I am smart enough to detect you!" The jailers dragged him away.

There was no other man alive who could equal his skill. A while ago, on his journey, he had met a man with a terrible stomach problem. He was moaning when Hua Tuo encountered him. Tuo laughed and diagnosed him: "Digestion Problems." He gave the man three pints of garlic and leek juice to the man. After he drank it, he vomited up a worm over two feet long, and he could digest again. His name began known since then.

Then the governor of Guangling, Chen Deng suffered from indigestion. He wasn't able to eat. He stumbled upon Hua Tuo's name and summoned him. The physician gave him medicine; the governor threw up numerous pints of worms. Then he asked for the reason this was happening. Hua Tuo replied, "You have been eating too much fish, governor. Though you may feel well now, in three years, this will reoccur and you cannot be cured." After three years, he died.

Another time, a man had a tumor growing near his eye. It irritated him so much; he summoned Hua Tuo to cure him. "An animal is growing inside," was the reply. Everyone laughed, including the man, but it pained him to. He asked Hua Tuo to open it up and remove the tumor. Once the man was down, Hua Tuo plucked the tumor and a sparrow flew out.

During that time, there was another man who had stomach problems as well. Hua Tuo wrote a letter to him and left briefly. The man read it and grew furious; he ordered many men to kill him, but during the process, threw up black blood. Hua Tuo had forced the man into stress, which rid him of his disease.

Another time, General Li's wife was in dreaded pain. General Li summoned Hua Tuo, who held her pulse for some time before saying, "Pregnancy. It is over for her, but the fetus hasn't died." He took the methods of cooking and acupuncture to cure her by forcing the fetus out. When it happened, Hua took a look at the newborn – it was a dead child, completely formed, but black in color. The wife was fine afterwards.

After that time, there was another man who couldn't bear his stomach pains any longer. He summoned Hua Tuo. After checking the man several times, Hua Tuo said, "This sickness has already dug deep in your body. The only way I can cure it is to operate on your abdomen, and remove the source. Yet after this you can only live ten years. What do you say?" The man couldn't bear it any longer and approved the operation, only to die ten years later.

Hua Tuo thought of all he cured and the successes he had while in the jail cell. "I could cure Lord Cao," he said, "If only he had approved."

He had once operated on Guan Yunchang; it was during the battle of Fan Castle. Yunchang was injured by a poisoned arrow. He had traveled to the man himself. When they met, Guan Yunchang was playing a game with Ma Liang, one of the renowned scholars. He was moving his pieces with his non-infected arms.

Yunchang said to him, "Who are you, honorable stranger?"

The physician replied, "I am Hua Tuo."

Yunchang smiled. "Long has your name been known to me! What brings you here?"

"I have heard you were poisoned with an arrow and shot down near Fan," replied Hua Tuo. "I have come to cure you."

"What do you have in mind?" asked Yunchang.

"I will first have you laid down. Then, after restraining your infected arm, I will cut your skin to the bone. Then I shall scrape the bone of the poison, apply medicine and sew you up. I am afraid though, General, that you would kill me of the pain I would cause you."

Guan Yu laughed. "Me, Guan Yunchang, shrink of pain? I think not."

"I shall gather the supplies then," replied Hua Tuo.

When he returned, Yunchang and Ma Liang were still playing chess. Hua Tuo sat to the right of Yunchang, who held his infected right arm out. "You can operate now, Master," he said.

"Now?" asked Hua Tuo. "You aren't even restrained!"

"I swear on my honor I shall not do a thing to harm you," assured Guan.

Hua Tuo pulled hi knife out and slowly cut Guan Yunchang's arm. He scraped the poison, others looking away in disgust and fright. After Tuo was done, he applied medicine and sewed up Guan Yunchang's arm.

Guan waved his right arm. "It feels like nothing affected it at all! Thank you, Master Hua."

"I do whatever Heaven tells me to," he replied. Hua Tuo took his leave.

After reminiscing about his successes, Hua Tuo sighed. He pulled his book and handed it to the bailiff, known as Wu. "I have two students, who must now step to be Master. Here, I pass on to you my book of medicine. Take care of it well. My time will be up soon. Quick, take it!"

Wu the bailiff took it and bowed. Then he left for home. He placed the book on a table and went to take a shower. When he came out, he saw his wife, ripping the pages and burning them.

"What are you doing, old woman?" he snapped, taking the unburned two sheets.

"If you become as brilliant as Hua Tuo, what good will that do you if you'll end up dying in jail?" answered his wife.

Wu the bailiff looked down in shame.

Hua Tuo, still in the jail cell on a worn stool, sighed, sensing unfortunate events coming upon the entire kingdom. "What a pity. The world will have to find out themselves, as I did." He slipped off the stool and hit the hard ground.

Cao Mengde himself went into the jail cell, ready to taunt him and strike him several times; his sword was in hand. "Well, Tuo," Cao Cao said, laughing. "Looks like you died before I did anything!"

But that was not the end of Hua Tuo. One day he would come back, doing as Heaven told him to.


End file.
